vintage charm

Oh, heeeeyyy.... I'm just lounging around here on my fabulous couch in this fabulous new dress...

So this is what I've been up to lately. It's one of Butterick's "Retro" patterns - B6582, to be exact. Take a look at the front of this pattern:

Gorgeous! I am in love with the hair on that lady in front. That is how I imagine myself in this dress, all sultry with Lana Turner hair. If only.

This dress has been years in the making. I first picked out this pattern about 5 years ago. Then at some point I acquired the white stretch satin fabric with one of those 50% off coupons from Joanne's. I cut all the pieces out last summer, and began to sew. I got as far as the darts on the front when my sewing machine died. It's been sitting in a sad pile on my sewing table ever since.

-disregard the messy ponytail-

Overall, I like it. I do not know why I was so inclined to make this out of white stretch satin, since the dress is unlined. It would have worked much better with a thicker woven fabric. The pattern was clear, but definitely not for beginners. The fake "cross over" neckline leaves a lot to be desired, but the overall shape is pretty awesome. The fit is not perfect, but then again, I cut out the pattern pieces when I was 10lbs heavier, so I could have cut a size bigger than I wear now. Still - very Joan Holloway, and therefore very wearable.

Next up: I bought two Colette patterns from Sew Mama, Sew last year - Macaron & Parfait - and I still have not sewn them up. So stay tuned for more dresses.